Blood is Thicker Than
by Penthesilea2
Summary: A human girl is raised by Noghri, but feels out of place in their society, so she stows away with the Noghri to Coruscant to find her father.  Meanwhile, some Jedi race to find the only safe place left in the galaxy.
1. Mutiny

Author: **Penthesilea2**, your friendly neighbourhood Noghri fan...  
Title: _Blood is Thicker Than..._  
Era: Between Ep.III and Ep.IV, the tail end of the Jedi Purge  
Summary: A human girl is raised by Noghri after her parents' unsuccessful mutiny against the Empire. Feeling, as most teenagers do, that she doesn't belong with the Noghri, she nonetheless acquires their help in going to Coruscant to seek her human father. At the same time, a few Jedi try to make their way to the last safe place they know of in the galaxy.  
Characters: Senika, some uber-cool Noghri, Vader, Palpy, some angsty Jedi and a couple of taras-chis.

AN: Sooooo, this first part is kind of bad because I wrote it a long time ago, but I'm finally just about finished it, so I'm posting it all again (I can't access my old account) and if you'll just get through the first chapter, I can promise you sword-fights, warrior girls, lots of Vader love, romance, dancing, space battles and more. Please read and I will be ever so happy if you happen to review as well. :)

**Chapter One: Mutiny**

The sound of Thel's boots hitting the floor of the Star Destroyer seemed unusually loud. He forced himself to slow down and walk calmly the rest of the way to the escape pods. It wouldn't do for Janissa to see him anxious, she had enough to worry about.

His wife looked up as he rounded the corner and her face was pale with fear. She was holding a twelve month old baby girl, swathed in light blue cloth. Thel compelled himself to grin and reached out to lay a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder as he arrived beside her.

"How's my baby girl?" Thel asked with a smile.

"Well, she's not crying, which to me is better than I could have hoped for… She must get the bravery from her father." Janissa offered a small smile.

Thel and Janissa Hansen had been thrilled months ago when they were both accepted into the crew of the Star Destroyer _Indomitable_. Janissa was a brilliant biotechnologist, working with a scientific team researching the flora of new planets, while Thel was one of the ship's engineers. Recently though, Janissa was becoming concerned with the Empire's agenda. It seemed calculated subjugation, instead of simple research, was their major aim. The _Indomitable_ currently hovered in orbit around the planet Honoghr, as though circling its prey.

Janissa wasn't going to stand for it any longer. They'd made arrangements, devised partially through cunning, and partially with Thel's skill with communication arrays. They were to use the escape pod to get to the surface for the first stage of their plan and get the fastest transport out of the Empire's small settlement there.

"We'd better hurry, there's only forty-five seconds before the virus becomes active," Thel urged. He'd planned a minor diversion to aid their escape.

Janissa started to nod, but as she glanced over Thel's shoulder, her eyes went wide.

"Thel! Get down!" she screamed.

Thel wasn't fast enough, but the bolt missed him. Instead, the killing shot intended for him hit Janissa straight on. Blood streaming from her forehead, she fell backwards into the open escape pod.

The ship's security forces had arrived.

"You fool!" shouted the lead officer to his underling, "You weren't supposed to kill _her_!"

But it was too late. The soldiers grabbed Thel, who began to kick and fight desperately as they tried to drag him away.

"After you get him under control, bring me the baby," said the head officer.

"NO!" Thel yelled and lunged toward the pod. He couldn't get into it, but he punched the button to eject the pod, which shut and released with a mechanical hiss.

Whatever the Imperials had in store for him, whatever they had done to his wife, they would never get their hands on his daughter.

* * *

While Thel Hansen awaited who knows what kind of punishment, torture, or gruesome death, the escape pod carrying the dead Janissa Hansen and her pitifully crying baby spiraled closer to the planet of Honoghr. It passed through the upper atmosphere and went crashing through the forest of Omnipar, sole woods of the Clean Land. It finally came to a battered stop near a tiny village of Noghri.

The young warrior, Icherab, was the first to approach it, drawn by the noises while hunting in the deep forests. Over the past year, his people had become accustomed to seeing starships, but never one so close.

_It seems unthreatening…_ he thought, _Most likely it is harmless…_

He pushed the largest button.

At the touch of his fingers, the door hissed open. His keen ears were alerted by the frantic wailing of a baby. A wave of sentimentality hit him as he investigated more closely and found that this being's guardian was dead. He scooped up the child, intending to carry it back to his village. The little girl waved her scrawny arms and fingers and kicked weakly with her legs. A mop of light brown hair framed a round, red-cheeked face. Tears ran from crystal blue eyes, flowing down to a fragile neck.

_She's so frail,_ he thought, _So delicate. Not fierce or dangerous at all._

He poked her nose curiously and was so startled when the tiny infant tried to bite him that he almost dropped her.

"Maybe not so frail," he chuckled to himself, "Perhaps we can make a warrior out of this one yet."

And with that he continued in the direction of his sister's house.


	2. Sixteen Years

**Author Notes:** My apologies, the last chapter I still cannot fix to my satisfaction and I think I will always be unhappy with it, but the next chapter was much easier to write. And now, to skip ahead sixteen years in time…

******  
Chapter Two: Sixteen Years**

"Sixteen years," Senika murmured in contemplation, looking solemnly at the escape pod, now overgrown with jungle. The gargantuan trees of Omnipar surrounded her closely, with fog curling up from various streams and the sounds of wildlife chirping nearby. Foliage hung from branches so thickly that it was nearly impossible to walk through the woods without ending up covered in it.

Senika sat on a rock in front of the crash site, the place where she had come to rest sixteen years ago. Her long brown hair fell in two braids down to her knees and thoughtful blue eyes were her most distinguishing features. She was dressed in a rough blue shirt belted with a brown cord and tan pants that ended right below the knee. A tiny necklace with pendant, taken from her mother's body, hung loosely around her neck.

Picking up a rock and throwing it distractedly at the tomb of the escape pod, Senika sighed for the millionth time in that hour and continued to struggle with her thoughts.

"Sixteen years of pretending to be something that I can not be. Sixteen years of living with a family that loves me, yet does not include me. Sixteen years of frustration over the things humans are simply not capable of doing…" Senika threw another rock, this time with more feeling, at the pod, and it rebounded with a sharp pinging sound.

She wasn't usually prone to philosophical musings, and there wasn't an official coming-of-age ceremony among Noghri females, or at least any one that she'd be participating in. But today was the anniversary of her Noghri birth and it pushed aside her normally carefree thoughts to ponder her existence.

Though Senika loved her Noghri kin, she had memories of another family. She remembered, faintly, a man's face, leaning over hers, laughing as he tickled her. It was just a figment, but it was there and it haunted her.

Senika propped her head in her hand and leaned her elbow against her bent knee. Something troubled her. Maybe if she sat here long enough, she could figure it out.

Her mother was dead. But what about the man with the smiling face? What about him?

It was then Senika came to a conclusion.

Finding him would satisfy her curiosity, but more importantly, it would give her the affirmation she needed that told her she belonged somewhere. Somewhere, she wasn't a step behind everyone else in everything. Somewhere where everyone wasn't stronger, faster or more clever than her.

And as the thought dawned on her, Senika felt a surge of elation. She jumped to her feet gracefully, incredibly acrobatic for a human, but only mediocre among Noghri. A huge smile spread across her face as she leapt down from the boulder and started sprinting full-speed toward the village.

In her single-minded intensity, she failed to understand that what separated her from the Noghri made her human, but what would make her more human would make her less Noghri. The insight was lost. She had only one thought.

She would find her father.

* * *

Malika looked fondly onward from her sitting position in front of the tiny wooden hut, watching the lively young girl that ran towards her at full speed. The middle-aged Noghri female was shelling a pod-like vegetable, humming gaily to herself. She stopped her work and watched with approval the petite and wiry teenager that seemed to fly over the ground towards her, with long braids flying out in her wake. The whirlwind came skidding to a stop in front of her 

"_Tawny-lok_," said Malika, using the Noghri word for "fair-haired," "Where were you just now?"

Senika grinned widely, puffing her chest slightly, and sprang off the ground into a handstand. She proceeded to walk around on her hands in front of Malika, casually putting all her weight on one arm, then the other. Her muscled tensed, then she pushed herself into the air, executing a flip and landing with a light thump.

"Nowhere _Yamai_," Senika said innocently, dusting off her hands, "I was only visiting the river."

Malika looked at her sternly, "Your clothes aren't wet."

Senika looked hurt, "I wasn't in the water _yamai_, just on the rocks."

Malika smiled, glad to know her little girl was still incapable of telling a lie. She just didn't have the face for it.

"I wish you wouldn't go into the woods so often. It's dangerous," Malika scolded lightly.

Senika's face shadowed. Wistfully, she said, "I wouldn't have to worry about it if I had weapons."

Malika smiled inwardly. What a surprise Senika had in store tonight.

"Where is Kyliba?" Senika asked suddenly.

"Inside, he just got back from his walk," Malika said, resuming her vegetable shelling.

When she looked up again, Senika had disappeared, and the door of the cabin was clattering shut.

* * *

Senika's bare, callused feet treaded softly over the worn wooden floor. The whole cabin had been built out of the same light, golden wood. It had high ceilings and exposed rafters, which were hung with dried spices and vegetables. At the back of the cabin were two bedrooms. One was Malika's, the other belonged to Icherab and his wife, Beytakilena. Most of the main room was taken up by the kitchen and dining area, with a small sitting area underneath the loft where Senika slept. To the right of the door when Senika came in was the bed where Kyliba slept. 

Kyliba, the father of Malika and Icherab was sipping tea at the large carved table, his walking stick leaning against his knee. He didn't look up as Senika came in, for his hearing was still perfect and he could tell her by her step.

She poured some tea for herself in a decorated clay mug and sat down at the seat across from him. Kyliba waited for her to speak, proud of his adopted grand-daughter for learning how to think about her words before voicing them aloud. It was a Noghri civility.

"_Geedo_," she began, calling him 'grandfather' in Honoghran, "When you were off planet, protecting the great Emperor and Lord Vader, did you ever see a place where information about people was kept?"

"What do you mean Senika?" he asked patiently, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Her cupid's bow lips pursed in a thoughtful manner and her eyes narrowed as she tried to fit the words together. Her hands gestured as she explained.

"Like our generation tree, except… much, much bigger. Perhaps one that keeps track of their soldiers?"

Kyliba was puzzled, but he knew the answer to the question, "They have computers, Senika. There are huge computers that have information on many, many people, not just the Empire's soldiers. Think Senika, where is the center of the galaxy?"

He had taught her how to read and speak Basic from a young age, finding it pleasant to teach in his old age, though Senika never had a chance to practice the language so her Basic was limited. Along with those lessons had been stories of his travels in the galaxy while in the service of the Empire.

"Coruscant," Senika said suddenly as the answer came to her, "Right?"

Kyliba nodded paternally, "Yes, my Senika. And Coruscant is where the records are."

"How do I get there?" she asked anxiously, defiantly.

Kyliba looked up to see her eyes shining in determination and he felt an ache in his heart for having to dash her hopes.

"You can't go there, _twany-lok_. You could only go if you served the Empire and you cannot because you are not Noghri. Not physically."

Senika's face twisted with anger and she dropped her head.

"That's always the case, isn't it?" she muttered bitterly.

Kyliba hated to see her upset and reached a gnarled hand across the table, resting it comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Senika, my dearest, you are Noghri in my heart," he said softly. And it was true, not just sympathetic condolences. In his eyes, Senika was Noghri from her delicate human toes to the golden-streaked brown hair crowning her head.

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside that were unlike Malika's. Senika sprang from her chair and opened the door to tackle the person entering in a breath-restricting hug.

"Icherab!" she cried delightedly, then more scoldingly, "You've been gone three days! You said it would only be two!"

Icherab laughed and gave a Noghri grin. "It took me longer than I thought to attain your surprise."

Senika tilted her head in question. "My surprise?"

"This," explained Icherab, pulling out a long roughly packaged object, covered with a sturdy hide cloth from his belt.

"I see Malika kept it a secret after all," he commented sardonically, seeing the puzzled expression on Senika's face. "Open it."

With curious glances at him, Senika undid the twine holding the hide to the object, slowing unraveling it, then discarding it in a pant pocket. She unfolded the cloth and a gasp escaped her as she saw the present. Her hand shaking, she held up the Noghri dagger in front of her, the opposite hand tracing the smooth carvings of the handle.

"Oh…" she said, awe-struck, "Oh, Icherab… I… Thank-you. Thank-you so much. You don't know what this means to me."

Icherab gave a wry smile, "You've earned it. Use it well."

Senika gave a little whoop of joy and rushed out the door, thrusting the dagger in the ancient patterns, completing the demonstration with kicks, hops and one-armed hand springs.

"Malika! Malika, look! Isn't this great!"

Kyliba chuckled from his stationary perch on his chair, happy to see her content again, but troubled by some dark foreboding trickling like ice water into his heart.


	3. Recruitment

**Chapter Three: Recruitment**

The fire was beginning to die on the hearth as the sky of Honoghr blackened to its darkest shade outside the cozy house. The Noghri and Senika sat comfortably on cushions in front of the fireplace, with Icherab and Kyliba telling old stories while Beytakilena and Malika wove Senika's hair into intricate braids. Everything seemed so splendidly content that Senika was hesitant to talk about her new ambition.

As the group finished laughing over some particular in Icherab's story, Senika cleared her throat.

Four sets of Noghri eyes looked at her curiously and Senika almost lost her nerve. She didn't want to hurt them, to make it seem as if she was ungrateful. She loved them unconditionally, but she felt she had to find her father.

"Yes Senika?" old Kyliba urged.

Senika swallowed. Why did they have to make it so hard with their kindness?

"I was… contemplating a lot today," she paused, unsure of how to go on. "I thought it would be respectful to visit my mother's grave. I sat on the rocks for a long time, trying to recall any memories of her."

There, she decided, it was best to just tell the truth, not make up elaborate stories.

"I couldn't remember much," she admitted softly, giving a wry smile, "Just fragments, snatches, glimpses of faces. But there was one face, a man's face..."

She paused again. The Noghri were watching her, listening with every facet of their attention. The silence was like a void that nearly stole her courage.

"My…" she couldn't get out the word. How could she? Her heart rebelled and her voice couldn't make the sounds. Her throat constricted.

_Say it!_ her mind encouraged, _You have to say it!_

"My father," she blurted, nearly starting to cry, "I think, if he's still alive, I want to find him."

Understanding collected in Kyliba's eyes.

"Oh, Senika," he said in a barely audible voice, "That's why you wanted to know about the records."

If the silence had been a void before, now it was black hole, gobbling light, sound and all sensation. She looked at each face, searching their eyes for a reaction. Beytakilena's face quirked with something akin to curiosity, her small, cheerful eyes sparkling with a kind of mischievous light. Malika's eyes, as ever, showed only a calm resignation, the way they'd always been, always watching her, always observing in a quiet, accepting manner. It seemed her entire existence revolved around Senika and seeing how this quiet human girl fared in life.

Senika searched Icherab's visage, his feelings being of the utmost importance to her. What would he think? What would he say? Would he feel hurt? Betrayed? Replaced? She couldn't bear to hurt him, all frustrations and humiliations she'd ever gone through had been for his approval. Now, her heart was lifted out of its confused misery as she saw something flicker in his mouth and in his deep, unfathomable eyes.

Pride.

He was proud of her.

Relief flooded through her.

It was the last figure's eyes that she could not read. Kyliba's face was only the way it usually looked; ageless and wise. Yet, in looking at him, an odd quiver spread through her body, like neurons fired all at once and she felt, for some reason, trepidation.

"Well? Can I go to Coruscant? Please may I try?" Senika asked, her voice tight and nearly breaking.

Icherab stood up from his chair, coming to stand in front of her. He stretched out his hand, and since she was only slightly lower than eye level with him while sitting, and affectionately touched her cheek.

"Senika, we have to think about this. We can't make the decision right away, and when we do, there will be many more decisions to make after," he said seriously, his gaze drilling into hers.

Senika nodded. That was to be expected. The worst part was over now, in her opinion.

Icherab smiled, "But for now, sleep is most important. No one can think without sleep."

Senika gave each member of the family a light hug and scrambled up the ladder to her loft. She heard Beytakilena and Icherab close the door to their room, then Malika drift off to hers. Either Kyliba didn't get up, or she fell asleep too fast, because it seemed to her that he stayed by the fire for the rest of the night, watching the embers slowly die.

X

* * *

X

_She dreams, suspended in a place of mist and darkness, where nothing is clear but everything seems familiar. She's been here before, she knows, but she doesn't understand when or where, why or how. She just knows, and she stretches out a hand in the darkness, demanding to know why she has been brought to this strange dimension._

_She hears a voice calling out "Senika! Senika!" and she starts to move towards it, relieved to recognize the tone of Malika. Yet as her feet turn her in that direction, from the opposite way a foreign female voice calls out, "Senika! Senika!"_

_She whirls in the other bearing, then back, turning her head in a state of dire confusion. She doesn't know which voice to respond to, which voice is the right choice._

_"Come this way! Senika, my only daughter!" calls the strange, unfamiliar voice._

_"You are Senika Kyliba clan of Baikh'vair, and you know the true color of your blood," says the voice of Malika, stern, yet loving._

_"My daughter!" cries the other voice, "Senika Hansen!"_

_"No, Senika!"_

_"You are my daughter!" wails the voice, then it begins to fade slowly, the last words echoing like a chant, "You are my blood… my blood…"_

_Senika is torn, whipping her head in all directions, trying to decipher where each voice is coming from and which is real, or which is an illusion. _

_But the voices are gone, leaving only a dreadful silence. _

_She stands still in indecision, then gasps as she feels the cool waters lapping around her feet change from unpleasantly cold to sticky and warm. She looks down in fear and is nearly sick with revulsion as she sees the color of the water, a crimson liquid that stretches into the mists surrounding her._

_Blood._

_She is standing in a sea of blood._

_Out of the chilling darkness, a whisper brushes past her, softly repeating in her ear._

_"You know the true color of your blood." _

X

* * *

X 

Senika stirred underneath the warm blankets, contrasting sharply with the coldness sweeping through her, shaking her body. She blinked rapidly in the semi-darkness, breathing harshly. Through the little window above where she slept, she could see the sky was still dark, but beginning to lighten.

The dark ghastliness of her dream slowly began to fade and she began to calm. It was only a bad dream after all, nothing she should be worried about.

She reached for the pile of clothes beside her and slipped smooth, lithe legs into her tan pants and then donned a dark burgundy shirt. She rolled off the pad of blankets and stood, pulling her long, long hair out of the shirt where it had been caught. While loose, it fell to her knees, a waterfall of light brown locks, and she grabbed a brush from the little table of her possessions. She combed it into two parts and then braided it from her forehead, down her head and continued, tying both braids with some extra string.

She shimmied down into the kitchen where Malika was cooking breakfast, something light and doughy by the smell of it.

"Senika," Malika said without turning around, "Icherab is waiting for you outside. He's finishing reapplying the water-proof sap to the wood for me. Give him a hand."

"Thank-you," replied Senika off-handedly before racing out the door.

The early morning was dark, but clear, with a hint of autumn as Senika stepped outside and around the corner to where she heard the sounds of Icherab working. She gazed up at the sky, absorbed for the moment in the sight. Did stars still shine during the day? Could she see them if her eyes were like a Noghri's and not merely human? Or did the tiny pin-points of light find all faces equal and graced all of them only at night?

Icherab was dipping a brush into a wooden bucket of sap from the golak tree, whistling slightly under his breath. All Noghri huts were made of the same sturdy wood coated with a particular tar to seal them tight against the elements.

"Sleep well, Senika?" Icherab asked, putting down the brush and remaining in a standing position, while she sat cross-legged so that her eyes looked up to meet his. He always addressed her as Senika, never by a nickname or pet word. Yet the word always conveyed the same amount of calm, genuine affection as all the others' fussing and she found Icherab's steady and controlled care the most reassuring thing in the universe.

She gave a slight smile, and wanted to ask him if he could see the stars, but instead she said, "I had a strange dream."

Icherab turned at this information, tilting his head in an expression of concern.

"It was disturbing, this dream?" he asked.

Senika nodded solemnly. "But it isn't important. I just want to forget about it."  
Icherab regarded her knowingly, but let the matter rest.

"I was thinking over your proposal," he explained. "It could be done, but it would require some careful maneuvers on my part. I am in charge of the picking a crew of warriors to take to Coruscant for Lord Vader's service in about a fortnight. The warriors are all people that I trust, people that would tolerate you accompanying us to Coruscant, secretly. A few of the positions have yet to be filled."

Icherab lowered his voice considerably, so she had to lean forward slightly to catch every word.

"I will leave the pick of the last three warriors to you. You will travel to Nystao with them, the night before we leave. Be careful you are not seen by other Noghri, and especially not the imbeciles they called troopers that are stationed at the garrison there. They are not… discreet."

Senika made a face. She had heard about the white-clad troopers and the disdain Noghri held for them. They relied too much on weapons and armour and not enough on the skill and grace required in combat.

"When we get to Coruscant, I will see what I can do about finding information about your… human relation. During the last term I served with the Empire, I also assisted a Grand Moff and I was allowed into the complex housing the Imperial master records computer. It is in Imperial Palace where we serve." Icherab paused to consider. "The hardest part will be keeping you undetected. I trust the others, but I do not know how your presence would sit with our lord if he were to discover you."

It was obvious from the expression on his face that Icherab felt somewhat conflicted in his loyalties. To his clan, to his family, was a Noghri male's first duty, and Icherab took it seriously. But his honour as a warrior… that was something complicated. It was more than duty. Senika see struggled to see how service to Lord Vader was bound to honour, but she accepted it.

Icherab shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "I do not think it will be a problem." He sighed, then said something that changed Senika's life. "I wish I could present you to Vader, Senika. I am so proud of you. You are so strong, and so willing. There is just something about you, though, that I think would not suit a life of devotion to our lord."

Senika looked at the ground, trying not to cry. She wasn't sure if she was supremely happy, or devastated. Perhaps somewhere in between.

"Senika?" Icherab prodded.

Senika blinked rapidly, cursing her human saline weakness.

Icherab grinned. "Go, find your friends. Be cautious."

Senika nodded vigorously, her braids bobbing and her lips set in a determined expression.

Icherab turned back to his bucket, humming.

Considering all the adventure and hope that lay spread out in such a neat and deceptively simple fashion before her, Senika's heart surged with excitement and she leaped up. She took a step away from the house, intending to set out looking for her friends to recruit immediately, but a word from Icherab stopped her.

"Senika," he cautioned, giving her a stern glance, "Be careful when you talk to Relkivik. He has my eternal trust, but his mother does not."

"Yes, Icherab," Senika agreed solemnly, instantly glad he had reminded her. Relkivik was one of her closest friends, one who'd saved her from a Stava in the forest when she was only five. He was light-tempered and pure-hearted, but his mother was the maitrakh of Baikh'vair, and she had a sour disposition. Chances were that if she caught hints of Senika's grand scheme, she would put a stop to it all.

Relkivik was practicing Stava, a form of martial arts developed by the Noghri and named after the monster that had nearly taken her life. His hut was a luxurious building in comparison to some, situated next to the clan's _duhka,_ and nestled against the forest on the outside of the village. Senika felt suddenly uplifted when Relkivik turned around to greet her and ran the rest of the way to the yard.

"Morning Senika," Relkivik greeted, "Did you come to spar a bit?"

Senika looked down at the new dagger attached to her belt, polished and unmarred in its newness. Her eyes started to tear again.

"Some other time, yes…" Senika said seriously, "But I really have to talk to you."

Relkivik tilted his head in curiosity, "Ah, I see. Go on."

Senika shifted her eyes in the direction of his home.

"Maybe we should take a walk?" she suggested.

"Solemn today, aren't we?" Relkivik commented bemusedly. He started to walk towards the woods and Senika fell into step with him.

When they were a safe distance away, he touched her arm reassuringly and gestured for her to begin.

"Don't worry, Senika. Whatever it is, I won't tell a soul."

Quenching the sudden onslaught of nervousness, Senika told her story for the second time, with the same heart felt detail. When she finished, she turned anxiously to face him.

"So I'm to go to Coruscant. Icherab is going there soon, and I will be like a stowaway, threatening him with dishonour by my mere presence."

Relkivik's dark eyes sparked, "Now, don't be melodramatic. Your presence, I'm sure, could be tolerated by the Lord Vader."

He paused. "I will go with you."

He looked over his shoulder at his home in the distance, and his eyes were cold again. "It will be good to get away."

Senika clamped her mouth shut of any comments except, "Thank-you, Relkivik." She didn't understand his relationship with his mother, and she couldn't insult the maitrakh. Kyliba had taught her, among many things, that silence was often the best advice.

"Who else is coming?" asked Relkivik, turning onto a less traveled trail in Omnipar. Senika had to brush aside undergrowth to keep her face from being scratched.

"Vor'corkh, Sakhisah… Those are the only definite choices I have so far."

"And Icherab is commanding our warriors for this tour?"

"Yes."

Relkivik stopped to regard her for a moment.

"Senika," he said kindly, "Don't look so serious. This is your life, your fate. Meet it happily."


	4. Traitors

**AN**: Hello! Just back after a bit of an absence, but I've noticed that some people have added this to favourite stories and that was very exciting for me and I was drawn back to post some more! I think someone who editted this chapter for me described the fighting in it as "pointless", but I left it in against my better judgement, because I think it becomes relevant much, much later in the story. Thanks again for reading:) 

**Chapter Four: Traitors**

The day before the team left was full of making the necessary preparations, the packing, the sharpening of weapons, the stretching of limbs for action, and settling one's mind for the task ahead. Senika scurried around the small hut, gathering things she needed and laying them out across her pallet of blankets in the loft.

She spread the materials across a soft fur hide and took stock of them, trying to decide if she had everything. Four sets of clothes were neatly folded into piles, with two pairs of tan pants, two pairs of brown leggings, a light blue long-sleeved shirt, a wine-coloured sweater, a cold-weather shirt in a deep shade of evergreen, and a short sleeved shirt dyed mauve. Some ointments and herb poultices were packaged together in tiny pouches or little glass jars, and Senika's hairbrush with a few bits of strings were lumped together on the other side of the pallet. She stood looking at it, then sighed and shook her head. She was probably forgetting something.

"_Twany-lok_?" called Malika from the main floor, "Are you finished? Come and eat dinner."

Senika turned eagerly and scrambled down the ladder. She sat at her spot at the end of the table, across from Kyliba, with Beytakilena on his right side and Malika on the left side. Icherab usually sat beside her, but he was already in Nystao, waiting for her. Malika heaped a large serving of meaty stew onto her plate and placed a slice of_vrena_-bread beside it.

"Eat up," she smiled, before sitting down and serving herself.

Senika reflected that it may be the last meal she ate with such company in a long-time and the sudden feeling of sadness that flooded her heart surprised her. She looked at Malika and Kyliba, slurping and munching away in peace, and was struck by how she may never see this scene again. She realized that in hopes of finding her father, she had also sought a home. With the serene image in front of her, she was struck by how lucky she already was.

Malika noticed she'd stopped eating and gave her a stern look.

"Senika, I know you are excited, but if you don't eat your supper, you will have no energy for adventuring."

Senika started, shaking her head to rid herself of the sudden strange thoughts she'd been having. "I'm eating it, _Yamai_. I was just lost in daydreams."

Malika smiled kindly and touched Senika's nimble human hand briefly. "As long as you finish."

Senika nodded, and went back to the stew, remembering a time in her youth. When she had realized that she was growing bigger than the largest Noghri, she had stopped eating in hopes that she would stop growing as well. She'd become sick and thin, and Malika had been positively livid when she found out why Senika had been starving herself. She had repeated numerous times how it was normal for Senika to be that height for a human at her age and how she could care less what other Noghri looked like, or Senika's resemblance to them.

Senika shook her head at the memory and went on eating her stew.

Presently, the family finished eating and Senika cleared away the dishes, heating hot water on the fire and washing the utensils and plates in a metal tub. Kyliba helped by drying them.

"Kyliba?" Senika asked tentatively as they finished the dishes and went outside to tend the livestock kept for food. The sky was ablaze with red, orange and magenta, with the sun falling slowly towards the horizon, as if to set the world on fire. The air was chill and tinged with the smell of wood smoke from Noghri stoves and the thick, damp smell of the Omnipar forest.

"Yes Senika?" he asked as they walked around the side of the cabin to the tiny shed in the back where the white-feathered chookas were penned.

"Will you miss me while I'm gone?" she asked self-consciously, playing with the end of her braid. Tints of red, rust and gold showed through the dominant brown of her hair in the dying sun.

Kyliba chuckled to himself, "That depends, _twany-lok_."

"On what?"

"On whether you'll be coming back," he said with a solemn glance, bending down to pick up the chooka feed as they reached the pen.

"Why does that matter?" she asked curiously, also picking up some chooka feed and beginning to scatter it generously across the pen.

"Well," he replied, pausing to shoo a chooka that got too close to his clawed feet, "If you aren't planning on returning, then I will mourn you as if you had died, sparing myself years of painful waiting and baseless hope."

Senika looked up at him with imploring blue eyes, but absorbed this without reply.

"But, if you intend to return, then I will indeed miss you," Kyliba contended.

She thought about this for a moment, the confession bringing too many questions to mind than she had the strength to answer presently. What would she do when she had retrieved the information that she sought? She had thought before at dinner that her father might give her a home, but she had realized that she couldn't bear to leave this place permanently. It was all she'd known…

"I'm not sure Kyliba," she answered softly, shaking her head, "I couldn't bear for you not to miss me."

"Then you will come back?" he questioned calmly, not like an interrogator, but a friend seeking to help her understand her own problems.

"That depends," she said with an ironic smile, throwing his own words back at him.

"On what?" he asked, also smiling at the repetition.

She was silent for a moment, gazing at the sun, at the line of the trees against a darkening sky, at the cozy hut with smoke curling from the chimney, at the only home her memory told her of.

She faced him bravely, pressing her lips together in determination mixed with remorse.

"On if I find what I'm looking for."

Kyliba nodded slowly and rolled the sack of chooka feed closed before setting it down. She copied the motion and followed after him as he walked carefully on creaking, arthritic joints back to the house. He had his hand on the door latch, and was just about to open it when he turned slightly to regard her.

"You don't know what you're looking for Senika. I don't think you even can yet," he whispered softly, before entering the house.

Senika tilted her head in confusion, puzzled, and silently slipped through the door after him.

X

* * *

X

Malika stood outlined in the doorway of her house by the glow of the fireplace and watched two lithe figures slip away into the night. Senika turned around just before she was out of sight and waved frantically at her, her face shining with excitement.

Malika struggled to smile back, even though Senika wouldn't be able to see it with weak human eyes at this distance, because it seemed as though the action would bring luck to them and their expedition. She also tried to smile because it held back the wave of desolation and regret that she felt.

Noghri do not have the anatomy for tears or crying, but Malika knew these actions from watching Senika grow up. She was glad that she didn't have the capability for either, for she was sure that they would overcome her now.

It became harder and harder to maintain the smile as she observed Senika disappear from sight. The curious, pure-hearted little girl she'd raised from a baby was now a valiant young woman and letting her go hurt more than any pain she'd ever known. What was worse was that she wasn't sure if she would see her little girl again.

"Good-bye, Senika," she whispered into the velvet night, with only the silent stars to hear her.

"Good-bye, my daughter."

X

* * *

X 

Two of Honoghr's three moons were in the sky, dim and small, but still beautifully rounded in spherical perfection and glowing, pearly and luminescent, against the serene black dome of night.

Senika was checking the contents of her backpack when she heard a dry twig rustle against some fallen leaves. Her head jerked up and she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the noise, but was relieved to see only Relkivk.

_"Sha'vah!"_ she whispered vehemently to her friend, standing as she did and hoisting her heavy pack onto her back. Relkivik gave a nonchalant shrug as he joined her and Sahkisah.

Senika and one of her other chosen three warriors had been gathered underneath the tree for nearly five minutes waiting for Relkivik, which felt like an eternity when you were trying to be cautious and in a rush. Senika signaled through hand motions that they should get moving. The Noghri expressed their agreement and Senika smiled slightly before plunging into the forest.

Omnipar was the only forest left in the Clean Land and it protectively surrounded the village of Omniparek, which simply means, "by Omnipar." It was a deep and mysterious wood, with uncharted perils and untold dark regions where sunlight never reached the ground. It seemed to harbour a dislike for any creature that was not from its boundaries and few Noghri that were not from its village strayed into the reach of its ravenous branches.

Senika was not afraid of Omnipar or any of its hungry inhabitants, but she was vaguely nervous of leading her friends through it in the darkness and without any sort of path to guide her. The night was freezing, a warning of the winter approaching, and Senika was grateful for the extra clothes Malika had made her wear despite fervent protests.

She pushed aside a curtain of cobweb-like vines, the white fibers trailing eerily across her neck as she passed underneath them. The mud of the forest floor sucked at her soft hide boots, squelching slightly despite her efforts to be quiet. She could hardly see anything in the darkness, with the lights of the moons unable to penetrate the branches of the trees.

"How far until we can light one of the flares?" Senika whispered to Relkivik.

"Half an hour or so. Can you see well enough? Do you want me to take the lead?" he asked, concerned.

Of course, she did want him to lead, but it seemed very cowardly to be giving in already, so Senika shook her head.

"I can manage," she answered.

So Senika continued to lead her trio through the ghastly depths of Omnipar, with each step carefully placed and the direction constantly being checked. She led them across freezing streams that soaked her pants up to the thigh, she slogged though brambles that snagged viciously at her hair and dug into her clothes, and she felt the knots of numerous tree roots scrape across her feet, hurting them despite her boots.

The going became easier when they reached a point far enough away from the village to light the compact flare lanterns. Senika tried not to look as relieved as she felt about being right about the path.

The expedition was going splendidly on the whole until about four hours before dawn.

They came to a clearing, which was not really a clearing, but had fewer trees, which was as close to a clearing as it came in Omnipar. Pale moon-light filtered weakly through the tree branches, illuminating the first threat of the night, a chilling creature Senika had only heard of before in legends told beside the fire on cold winter nights.

The monster did not see them immediately as they came into its proximity. It was a mammalian quadruped called a _Vralok_, and it rose nearly twenty feet high, it's dark crimson fur lying loosely over masses of rippling muscles and deadly sinew. Vralok's preferred to live in moist, mild climates, and were nearly extinct as a result, for the Clean Land was farther from the equator than they preferred.

Senika recognized the Vralok immediately and crouched into a defensive position, not quite comprehending. She whirled to face Relkivik, who has come to a dead stop beside her.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked in a harsh whisper, straining to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"Yes, Senika," he replied slowly with a nod, "That is a Vralok."

She looked at the enormous beast, studying the razor claws on each of its four paws and the arm length front teeth lining its front jaws. She looked at the clearing, noticing the arrangement of the trees, seeing one large golak tree that had broken near the bottom and was leaning against another at a gentle forty-five degree angle. A plan began to form in her head.

"I'll need to kill it," she said, part declaration, part question.

"It will never let us pass through its territory," Sahkisah affirmed, "And we cannot handle the delay."

Senika drew her dagger, preparing to draw blood with it for the first time.

"Distract it."

With that, Senika stepped out into the clearing, making noise in the fallen leaves to catch the Vralok's attention. The beast started and swung its head around, glaring at her with sharp, predatory black eyes.

Senika glared at it in return, matching its ferocity. She started to run towards it, her confident feet finding the right path over the rough ground. The Vralok ambled forward, hissing and roaring in annoyance, charging towards her companions. She tightened her hold on her dagger and swerved without warning to sprint brashly up the angled golak tree, running hard against the brutal angle till she reached the pinnacle, where the top of the fallen tree, and the top of the tree it had fallen against, met. She looked wildly around, her heart thumping wildly.

In the dark, she found it difficult to find what she sought, but nevertheless it was only a second before her fingers grasped a sturdy tree vine. She held her dagger in her teeth and gripped the leathery stem with both hands. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off from the branch she was standing on, swinging down towards the Vralok.

There was a cry from Relkivik as she let go of the vine and landed on the creature's shifting back. She stumbled and nearly fell off from the erratic movement of the enraged beast, but her fists found anchorage in the Vralok's dark red hair. Swiftly, she clambered up its back to the neck, where she wrapped her legs tightly around its throat, strangling it. She wanted to use her dagger, to employ her shining, deadly gift to slit a fatal gash in its jugular, but her hands were busy holding her to the monster and she didn't dare let go.

"Keep holding on Senika!" she heard Sahkisah shout at her.

_Yes, yes,_ she thought, _I have to hold on…_

But this action was becoming increasingly more difficult, as the beast shook and bucked, furiously trying to remove her, its strength and vehemence seeming to increase with Senika's continued efforts. Her head rattled, her vision became blurry, and the world appeared unable to stop spinning…

_Must hold on!_ _Can't let go!_

She was finding it hard to breathe, and she dizzily took one hand from its place to take her dagger out of her mouth, wanting desperately to just kill the thing and be done with. But by this time, she was beginning to faint, starting a spiralling descent into black unconsciousness.

_Lift the dagger…_

What her brain directed, her body could not comply with. Her leg muscles loosened, her eyes rolled back, and she began to slip.

Just when she thought the clash of wills was over, that she was finished, failed, a strong, deft arm pulled her up. She recognized the smell as Relkivik, holding her up with one arm.

"Can't let go," she mumbled, and slumped.

She felt herself being lifted off the beast, jumping to the ground. Distantly, the sound of the monster hitting the forest floor carried to her ears. Her eyes still seemed unable to focus.

"Senika?" came Relkivik's worried voice, "Senika, are you alright?"

Things slowly sorted themselves out, the colours and images running apart to separate and make sense, like paint organizing itself into a picture on canvas.

"Senika, we have to go, the _vralok_ is only unconscious," Relkivik said, shaking her gently, "It suffocated or something."

"Mmmh?" was all that Senika could manage to say.

"Oh," came Sahkisah's voice, "I think she's just dazed. Just help her to keep walking, and let's go."

_I wish I could present you to Vader, Senika. I am so proud of you. You are so strong, and so willing…_

Senika grimaced and tried to push her self unsteadily off the ground.

A cold, sweet-smelling liquid came from the broken leaves below her. She inhaled and a sharp, mint scent began to clear her mind.

Senika coughed and sat up, brushing away Sahkisah's hands.

Warily, she eyed the downed _vralok,_ expecting it to rise again any moment.

Relkivik started to reach for her as well, looking a bit worried. She shook her head.

"Sahkisah's right," Senika said and rose to her feet, "Let's continue."

They left the moon-lit clearing of the Vralok, relighting their lanterns and double-checking their direction before continuing on to Nystao.


	5. To Distant Blazing Stars

**Chapter Five: To Distant Blazing Stars**

Just as the sky was showing traces of grey on the horizon, they found themselves on the outskirts of Nystao. They slipped through the backstreets of the city, quiet as vrelts. They reached the city later than planned, due to the Vralok, but when they at last crept up to the back gates of the garrison, Mapeshka was still waiting for them, sitting atop a roof.

Senika gave a sharp gasp as Mapeshka tapped her on the shoulder. A millisecond before, the Noghri had not been there. Quickly, she tried to collect herself.

"We ran into difficulties in the forest!" Senika whispered. "I'm sorry…"

Mapeshka shook her head. "Never mind, Senika. Listen: There are human troopers stationed on the inside of these walls, and there are a few that might be able to see you if you're not careful. I'll go first and tell Icherab to lower the ramp of the shuttle. It's a Corellian cargo freighter in the middle, go straight for it."

Senika nodded, abashed. She could follow directions; she was just easily startled.

She received a boost from Relkivik to get up to the roof, as it was very high and beyond her jumping abilities. Slowly, she prowled down the length of it, one of her hands clenching the handle of her dagger. She reached the edge and glanced to each side before she dropped down noiselessly.

Smirking, she crept along the wall of the building that would bring her to the main part of the shipyard. She started to turn the corner, but her carefully tuned hearing alerted her that someone else was walking along the wall that met her corner, right to her very position.

She froze. Clutching the handle harder, she then took a deep breath and jumped around the corner.

Instead of the white-armoured trooper she'd expected, it was a young officer, dressed in a dark black uniform with a surprised expression on his face. Senika pounced on him, driving her shoulder into his stomach and pushing him to the ground, her hand clamped across his mouth.

Eyes wide, trying to scream something despite her hand, time seemed to stop for Senika. This was the first human she had seen in many, many years. As everything seemed suspended for a moment, she stared back into his eyes, the fear there equivalent to her own. He was strong, she realized. Stronger than she'd given humans credit for.

"Senika?"

Relkivik's voice brought her back to time and place. Quickly, she executed a sharp punch to his face, powerful and practiced to deliver unconsciousness. The man slumped. Senika reached hurriedly into her bag and took out a vial filled with dark blue liquid. She carefully held it over his mouth and let two drops slide onto his tongue.

"There," she said to Relkivik, "He won't remember anything of this incident… And possibly the last three days."

Relkivik bared his teeth. "Good, now hurry…"

They had nearly reached the ship when Relkivik boldly grabbed Senika and threw them both into the shadow of a nearby shuttle. A moment later, two Imperial troopers walked by, talking in low tones and obviously on patrol. If she'd been standing there a moment earlier, the consequences would have been dire.

She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed and turned to Relkivik.

"How did you know they were coming?"

He tapped the side of his head.

"Oh," said Senika, feeling cheated for lack of the remarkable Noghri hearing. "Thanks, friend."

Relkivik grinned and tugged her hand as he pulled her towards the gleaming white freighter a few meters away. They scurried up the boarding ramp and a few minutes later Sakhisah emerged at the top of the ramp as well.

"No sign of anything unusual," she said to one of the adult warriors that had just appeared, Pirakash. He nodded and busied himself with closing the ramp and sealing the ship before turning back towards the cockpit.

Sakhisah shot a sly look at Senika. "Except for the one downed Imperial guard that smelled like someone had slipped him _lilabelle_."

Senika gulped.

They were interrupted from any further discussion by Icherab calling for Senika from cockpit. The three teenagers moved uneasily through the corridors of the ship as it started to hum and vibrate with the sound of engines revving, defying gravity. They had almost cleared the atmosphere by the time the three approached the entrance to the cockpit, where Icherab and the male warrior Bakfulor were frantically manipulating the controls.

The ship suddenly twisted as Icherab aligned it to make the jump for hyperspace, and Senika gasped at the sight through the view port. There was Honoghr, briefly, a sad, beautiful little planet. It was barren, a light-green and brown wasteland where only kholm-grass grew. But space was magnificent, cold and pristine, as she saw stars that had never been so clear and the three moons of Honoghr in startling detail. She drew a sharp intake of breath as the ship swung in a different direction, giving her a view of the sun, so that she had to shield her eyes from the bright, glaring light. It was incredible, and at the same time profoundly humbling.

"Here," Relkivik urged, "Sit here Senika."

Senika sat down in the seat he pushed her gently into without taking her eyes from the window. Icherab and Bakfulor worked away at the controls, and within seconds, her vision was dazzled again as all the stars seemed to elongate and converge into a twisting vortex which sucked them into its center.

Her perspective changed again as the vortex surrounded them and the white, purple, and black patterns began their wild dance about the ship, sheltering it for its long voyage to Coruscant.

The trip from Honoghr to Coruscant was a four-day journey, because much of it was through the uncharted and treacherous star regions between Honoghr and the Perlemian Trade Route. This series of jumps took nearly three days to accomplish, but as soon as they reached the Perlemian, there was only one simple nav calculation between them and Coruscant.

Senika had gleaned this information, and any other knowledge about the ship, from Icherab. The ship was a Corellian freighter, easily piloted by two people and inhabited by ten. It was a fast ship, Icherab told her, though she couldn't compare it to anything, so she didn't know. The cabins were clean and tidy in military style, but the ship still had a strangely cozy feeling.

After Senika tired of sitting in the cockpit, watching the lines of hyperspace, she set about exploring more of the ship. She was wary about lingering in the cockpit because of the multitude of buttons and flickering lights to brush into accidentally and disrupt. The ship was oval shaped, with two main hallways running from the cockpit to the ramp along the outsides. On the inner part, there was a large recreation room, with diagnostic boards, food-prep units and a large table with a holo-game board. There were four cabins with a refresher and two bunks apiece. Near the back of the ship, Senika found, there were escape pods, and ladders leading to dorsal and bottom gun turrets.

Satisfied with her inspection, Senika retreated back to the quarters she was sharing with Sahkisah, Pirakash, and Relkivik. Relkivik, who had been accompanying her on her explorations, trailed her into the room and promptly dove towards the left side bottom bunk.

"Hey!" Senika exclaimed, "I called that!"

"Not until you earn it!" Relkivik replied with his teeth bared in a Noghri smirk.

Senika cocked her head at him and then hefted herself easily to the bunk that had been pulled out of the wall above. The cabins were small, with two bunks (one fold-out and one regular) on either side in little alcoves, with cupboards beside each for storing possessions, and the door to the tiny refresher opposite the door used for entrance. The space in between the bunk alcoves was only a meter or so, which didn't leave much room for the fighting Relkivik was insinuating.

Senika hung her head over the side of the bunk, looking down at Relkivik, with her two long braids swinging like pendulums that nearly touched the floor.

"Earn it how?" Senika asked curiously, smiling at her best friend.

"Fight me for it," answered Relkivik with a mischievous grin.

Senika began to see the plan he'd doubtlessly been forming in his head.

"Stava?."

Relkivik nodded, the smirk not leaving his face.

Senika began to smirk as well. She coiled her body for a jump, then sprung from the bunk onto the floor, grabbing for Relkivik in the same motion. He dodged too quickly, as she knew he would, so she went for the dagger in her belt. With the handle solidly gripped, she jabbed forward, putting Relkivik on his guard.

Noghri daggers had never been intended for hunting animals. Most of the prey Noghri lived off of for millennia had been taken down with arrows, darts or through some sort of trickery. The dagger therefore, was never a needed tool for getting food and instead it was used in warfare, tribe against tribe, clan against clan, Noghri against Noghri. The patterns and combinations were an art passed down through centuries, and they were brutal, violent tactics designed to kill, not injure. One had to be very careful when only practicing.

Smiling boldly, Senika tried cutting high, sweeping down from above, but Relkivik parried easily, brushing the blow aside. He slashed at Senika from the side, but she jumped, easily a meter straight up, and the blow hit only air. Senika crouched very low on landing, determined not to let Relkivik exploit her height somehow to his advantage. She back-flipped away from an upward jab, but found her back pressed uncomfortably against the cabin door.

She tried to swerve to the side of him to make up for her lapse, but Relkivik was too fast, and in a split second, the flat of his dagger was pressed against her throat. This was customarily the way to end a fight, and considered dishonorable if the loser pressed it further after the fact.

"Vanquished," Relkivik announced with a smile.

Senika glared at him and pursed her lips, letting out a frustrated breath.

"Oh, look at that pretty human pout…" Relkivik teased, letting her free and sheathing his dagger in its scabbard.

The glare Senika gave him now could have melted the hull of a Star Destroyer, but Relkivik wasn't fazed. Senika slumped into a cross-legged sitting position against the door and Relkivik ruffled her hair with his hand.

"Hey," he said quietly, seeming to finally notice the angry expression on her face, "Don't worry. We'll have a rematch tomorrow night."  
Senika gave a fractional, half-hearted smile, and nodded her head. It wasn't the fact that Relkivik had beat her that made her depressed, it was the fact that he had done it in so little time. But perhaps she just wasn't up to her usual standards tonight. After all, Relkivik was expert, one of the best in Omnipar, and she was getting used to the feel of a dagger that wasn't Malika's, and not having Kyliba watching from the sidelines, shouting out advice merrily…

"Well," she said, "I guess I'll get some sleep for the rematch then."

She stood up and dusted off her pants, then grabbed a long grey nightshirt from her backpack and wearily went to the refresher. When she had changed and washed up, then wrapped the length of her braids around her head like a crown, she exited to find the room with lights on the lowest setting and Relkivik already laying on his stomach. She rolled her eyes and lifted herself up to the top bunk, making a comment about males and their hygiene habits for his benefit.

"I heard that!" he complained mildly.

"You were supposed to," she retorted with a wry smile.

There was a pause as Relkivik digested this.

"Goodnight Senika," he said at last.

"Goodnight Relkivik."

X

* * *

X

The next day Sahkisah woke to the sounds of Pirakash and Senika wrestling and laughing on the floor beside her bottom bunk. Relkivik's voice interjected fits of giggling and the strained breathing as they each sought to overpower their opponent.

She opened her eyes and sat up carefully, not used to the cramped quarters of the ship. She and Pirakash had entered the night before to find Senika sleeping already and Relkivik lost in thought, with a slight atmosphere of brooding in the room. She had briefly wondered if the two had fought, and because of her naturally easygoing personality and tendency to be peacemaker, had asked if anything was wrong. When she couldn't get any answers out of Relkivik, she and Pirakash had glanced at each other, shrugged, and made ready for bed.

With the fresh start of morning, however, any arguments had apparently evaporated. Her human friend wore dark brown pants and an evergreen top, while Pirakash was still in his rust colored night garments. And, Sahkisah observed, Senika had nearly beat Pirakash at wrestling.

Still, it was only a matter of time until…

Pirakash coiled his remaining weight, pulling Senika's arms immobile, and rocked forward hard.

_Thump!_

With a victorious cry from Pirakash, Senika was dislodged and slammed into the wall.

Senika made a noise of great frustration, but with a smile on her face, "You always use that. I could swear that it's impossible to stop…"

Pirakash grinned broadly. "Or maybe it is and I just haven't shown you yet."

"One day, just wait…" Senika threatened amiably.

Relkivik laughed and gave Senika a hand up, and Sahkisah was just opening her mouth to greet them a good-morning, when Icherab opened the door.

"Up at last are we? Lazy teenagers," he reprimanded cheerfully, "Breakfast is ready in the mess."

The troupe followed him from the room and dug into the spread of fruits, bread, and cheeses with relish, devouring the meal as only hungry Noghri or a human teenager could. Sahkisah continued to be amazed at the technology the ship boasted, though Pirakash told her it was standard in a lot of the galaxy and even in Nystao. Living in Omnipar, she had never seen things run by electricity or engines, and had never thought life seemed more difficult because of it.

The next few days on the voyage to Coruscant began to follow a pattern. Sahkisah, Pirakash, Takrevor, Vor'corkh, Relkivik and Senika divided their time between practicing stava, sparring, relaxing and reading what information on the Core Worlds or Coruscant that the computer offered them.

Relkivik and Senika were greatly interested in the ship itself. Icherab and Bakfulor taught them the basics, but even the basics were a lot to know and absorb when dealing with technology for the first time. When the elder Noghri weren't in the cockpit, Senika and Relkivik occupied it, learning its secrets and how it ran.

Sahkisah, personally, was timid about the ship. She lay awake in the dark the second night on the ship, when she wasn't so incredibly tired, and found it impossible to fall asleep. In Omnipar, the nights were silent and still, so quiet that you could hear someone two houses away coughing. On the ship, however, the engines hummed constantly, and to her imagination, the sound seemed to increase from a gentle hum to a roar, growing until it shook the ship apart and scattered them to the coldness of space.

Maybe it was the anxiety of Sahkisah and Takrevor that Icherab made the decision to stop in Taanab on the last day of their voyage. Of course, his explanation of stopping for supplies could have been true as well, or maybe he just wanted them to see a regular-sized planet before they were shown Coruscant, to alleviate the shock. Later on, Sakhisah admitted that Taanab was a good idea, for Coruscant was nearly an overload on her senses. Taanab prepared her for many things.

Whatever the real case was, the expedition was halted momentarily on the afternoon of the fourth day, and Sahkisah, Relkivik and Senika were let loose into the Pandath Spaceport for a few hours of sightseeing pleasure.

X

* * *

X

_Does every spaceport in the galaxy look exactly the same?_

The thought was as jaded and tired as its owner, a rough, misused looking character surrounded in every direction with ruffians and scourge tougher and more beaten than even him.

The Clone Wars had certainly taken their toll on the galaxy, people on every planet seemed to be thinner, wearier and more fearful looking these days. He was growing up in bad times.

Of course, it was even worse if you were a Jedi.

Keshaiah Midanyl pulled the thick black cloak, with dirty, tattered edges that smelled like sweat and dried blood, more tightly around his body, hiding the slender silver weapon that hung with a heavy, condemning weight at his side. He sunk back slightly further into the shadow of the building, wanting to remain as inconspicuous and unobtrusive as possible.

At eighteen, Keshaiah was wiser and more knowledgeable in the ways of the universe than many beings hope to ever become. He was medium height for his age, with a handsome face, unruly dark hair, and solemn, deep brown eyes that spoke of a full-blooded Corellian heritage. He tended to take a humorous outlook on life, a trait which had grown into a somewhat sarcastic tendency with the difficulties of the past few years, as his Master, Shen Wai, had noted frequently.

He was pushed against a wall in the Pandath spaceport on Tanaab, watching the passing crowd in the marketplace carefully for a comrade he sincerely hoped would make the appointment. One never knew if a Jedi would survive a simple hyperspace trip nowadays.

He sighed and shifted uneasily, trying to get more comfortable.

_Forget it,_ he decided,_I'm going for a walk around. If Nagiala gets here, she can try waiting for a while._

Master Shen Wai was also fond of noting his lack of progress in the skill of patience.

The hood of the Jedi cloak hid almost his entire face, with only his chin visible, but he could see the numerous inhabitants and denizens of the spaceport quite easily. He strolled along, feeling more relaxed now that he was moving, and stretched out curiously with the Force, gleaning little bits of information about the people he passed by.

He felt a strange ripple in the Force suddenly, and turned his head left and right hurriedly, looking for something menacing or dangerous. Yet, calming down seconds later, he realized that the ripple had receded almost instantaneously. It was only like a brief touch of fire, leaving only a stinging sensation as a souvenir.

X

* * *

X

Senika looked frantically around the market place, trying to catch sight of Relkivik. He had mistakenly scampered off on her, cruelly leaving her to her own devices in a place larger and busier than she'd ever seen in her life. She pulled the sky-blue cloak tightly over her shoulders, feeling very lost, scared, and greatly annoyed.

Determinedly, she started walking in the direction she'd last seen her friend, preparing to give him a good earful when she found him.

A flash of black caught her eye, and she ducked towards it, easily slipping through the mayhem and pressing force of the crowd. It was a testament to her Noghri upbringing that she moved like a wraith, without a sound or disturbance to anyone in proximity, barely stirring the air with her movement. And her reflexes were quick.

So quick, in fact, her hand darted immediately towards the movement of something black to her right side…

X

* * *

X

"Ahah!"

"Dear sweet son of a-!"

Keshaiah was more startled by the speed and stealth of the attack than any pain it caused him. The feel of a firm human hand suddenly grabbing his elbow shocked him so much that his hand went immediately to the lightsaber at his side and he whirled to face his attacker.

Reflex had made him go for the weapon, but common sense overrode it the next millisecond. He stared down at his attacker with an awed curiosity.

A petite young girl, looking about his age, stared back up at him with a combination of shock and interest. She was still clutching his arm, but she seemed to be frozen, embarrassed and intrigued in the same moment.

He stared. No one snuck up on him so easily. Or at least no one caught him so totally off his guard. Secondly, she was wild. She had the tense look of an animal about to run way. Wild, he noted, but beautiful. It took him a full ten seconds to actually regain control of his senses. By then, she had removed her hand from his arm and was stammering apologetically in a strange, sharp language.

He tilted his head, not able to place the tongue from anywhere, and feeling quite stupid as a result, for he was able to recognize almost any language of the Core Worlds, and a few from the Outer Rim and colonies.

She seemed to realize suddenly that he couldn't understand her, because she inhaled sharply and snapped her mouth shut quickly. Her brow furrowed in concentration, and the next words came out slowly, with a heavy, alien accent to them.

"I am sorry, Sir," she said softly, "I … mistook you… someone else…"

Keshaiah recovered his composure, glad she wouldn't be able to see his face because of the hood.

"Never mind, milady," he said, giving her a full Corellian grin, "I am quite unharmed."

The girl seemed to repeat this slowly to herself, pause for a moment, then nodded understandingly.

"I must be off, milady," Keshaiah said regretfully. _Damn you Nagiala._ "Good-bye."

The girl nodded again and repeated, "Good-bye."

Then she spun quickly on her heel and vanished back into the crowd with hardly a trace.

Nagiala wasn't at the rendezvous point when he returned. He sighed in frustration after a look at his chrono. If she wasn't here by now, he had to go back to the ship. Of course, he hadn't really expected them to make it here, but he had been holding onto the hope. Now, he acknowledged with a sense of dread and distaste, they would have to continue on to Coruscant, the next meeting place if this one failed. It was the last place in the universe he wanted to go, but Shen Wai would never abandon Palaios Ardayen or her apprentice, Nagiala Qualilles, and Keshaiah would never go on to the Jedi safehouse without his Master.

He dragged his feet slightly, heading back towards the docking ports.

Coruscant.

Gods, how he hated that planet.


	6. The Jewel of the Core Worlds

**Chapter Six: The Jewel of the Core Worlds**

"Senika!" called Pirakash, "Come quickly! The ship is coming out of hyperspace!"

Senika didn't waver for a second from her task. She took advantage of Relkivik's momentary lapse in concentration and sharply kicked the hand he held his dagger with. The force of her assault sent the knife flying into the air, where Senika grabbed it before it could hit anything important.

"Ha hah!" she yelled triumphantly, before scampering off towards the cockpit, leaving Relkivik cursing everything in proximity behind her.

"Come on," she taunted, "Get in here!"

Senika entered the crowded cockpit, lighted dimly by hundreds of tiny lights all absorbed in the task of giving measurements, ship status, and positioning. In the large window, the demented violet and white vortex of hyperspace patterned the view.

She stood patiently behind Icherab's chair, watching with interest as he and Bakfulor dexterously worked the controls. She gasped with instant astonishment as the hyperspace pattern suddenly changed to thousands of tiny white lines, then to single sparkling points of light. The ship slowed down, and as it gently rotated, Senika caught her first sight of Imperial Center, Coruscant.

At first it seemed to her as though the whole planet was in the midst of some volcanic eruption. An orange glow seemed to radiate from between the plates of dark brown and grey earth, and rivulets of lava seemed etched across the surface. But the earth was a rugged landscape of towers, skyscrapers, warehouses, palaces, and domes, while the lava was made up of the billions and billions of tiny lights, which marked the lives of an equal number of inhabitants.

Like flowing magma, many of the lights moved over the surface of the planet, with such precision and timing that it seemed the whole planet was absorbed in one single rhythm. It looked like a piece of amber with fire inside.

"Coruscant air control to _Vikarus_, state purpose and destination, over," a bored voice said over the loud speaker.

Icherab clicked on the comm link. "_Vikarus_ to air control. We are a small school group from Taanab, docking on a private dock in the eastern hemisphere. Permission to land requested, over."

There was a short pause. Whether it had to do with the obviously coded words, or because of the deep, gravely voice that spoke them, security was obviously being challenged along the proper channels. Senika held her breath a moment.

"_Vikarus_, you are cleared for landing. Please proceed slowly and carefully towards the coordinates on your screen, it is your entry point through planet defense."

Icherab and Bakfulor busied themselves at the controls, and Senika turned to Relkivik. "And now the real fun begins."

Relkivik nodded. "Don't worry. I have a few ideas as far as getting you into Imperial Palace."

Senika nodded. Now that her fears for their safety were over, she watched as their ship drew closer to the great city. She wondered how many people like her, from backwater little planets, ever actually got to see the sight she was seeing now. As the _Vikarus_ descended towards Coruscant, she was struck by the stark contrast between her barren little Honoghr and this planet that teemed with life.

Senika pressed herself closer against the metal wall of the ship, wishing she could just melt into it and save the universe some trouble. If she had been able to move thirty centimetres to the side and turn her head to look over her shoulder, she would have been able to see as well as hear the exchange going on outside. Just a few meters away, at the foot of the boarding ramp, Icherab was talking to a strange, robotic sounding man. His voice was one of utter authority and assertion of will, but there was the vague, almost menacing sound of a respirator in the background of his speech.

Senika scarcely breathed, holding her body still in the way only a Noghri or one raised in their ways could. Icherab and the strange man seemed to be discussing scheduling and routes, strategy, and something about "Jedi." The docking bay that _Vikarus_ was stationed in was extremely classified, and very few soldiers knew about this area, let alone visited it.

Thankfully, the harsh-breathing abated, and the heavy, determined footsteps receded just as quickly. Icherab made no sound with his feet on the boarding ramp, but when he entered the ship, he looked briefly to either side and hesitated.

"Senika!" he called in the direction of one hallway.

"I'm here," she said, dislodging herself from the wall.

Icherab whirled around, his eyes narrowed.

"Senika," he said, "I have work for you to do."

She tilted her head in question, intrigued.

"I have been observing human behaviour a bit more closely, and I think it will be easier to… allow you entry to the databanks if you appear to blend in more. You need to go out into the city, study people, watch their mannerisms and ways of expression. And you will need some different clothes if you're to fill the role Relkivik has planned for you."

"The role?" Senika questioned. _I don't even speak Basic properly!_

"You'll see. But go out tonight with Relkivik and Sahkisah to see what you can learn. Later this week, you'll get some things for clothing. I put some funds aside out of the last weapon budget. Then you'll be less noticeable to other humans."

Icherab smiled. "Though it seems you're already getting good at being less noticeable."

"If it's really that hard for you," she replied with a smile, "Then I'll be practically invisible to them."

Humans were extraordinarily frail creatures, Relkivik considered to himself as he, Sahkisah, and Senika wandered down the pedwalks of Coruscant at twilight. Some shops were closing, others were just opening, all following a complete lack of regulation. The city would darken, then brighten, then darken…

Relkivik's first impression of Coruscant had been one of immense heights and thousands of lights everywhere, blinking, flashing, moving… Disorientated as he was, he was glad when Senika seemed unfazed. In fact, Senika seemed to pay comparably little attention to the surroundings, and much more to consideration of the people she passed by.

Relkivik watched Senika as her eyes followed two humans, male and female, walk by them, their fingers intertwined. Senika looked puzzled, and possibly a bit troubled. She held up her hand in front of her, turning it this way and that as if to find something wrong with it.

"Senika?" he ventured. "The shop is that way."

"Ah, yes," she agreed. "Sorry, I'll try to be in and out fast."

Relkivik eyed the sign of the store warily from the safe distance of an alley. It was in a thriving commercial area, clustered among restaurants and bars with a busy pedwalk in all surrounding directions. He thought the store looked average, maybe a bit fancier than the surrounding ones. But he was mostly concerned with his friend's safety. She hadn't really been out of his sight since they'd left Honoghr, and while he realized that eventually he'd have to let her stand on her own two feet, he was also grieved to admit that the thought rather scared him. He thought that perhaps he'd grown nervous from observing humans over the past week. They seemed to break so easily.

He eyed his human friend carefully. No, she wasn't fragile like some of her species. She was durable, she could take a beating. He'd seen evidence of it himself, he'd even doled out the beatings. But he worried for her. She'd seemed so distracted lately, and they didn't talk like they had before… before…

He tried to recall. She had been mad at him on Tanaab, crossing her arms over her chest and not looking at him. Her forehead did that crinkling thing when she was upset.

Uh-oh. There she was, forehead crinkling. He wanted to give her a good whack so that she would be focused and thus less likely to get hurt, but just as he reached out, her expression cleared and she turned to him.

"Well," she declared softly, "Here I go…"

"I'll be waiting," he replied, realizing too late that Sahkisah was there and he should have said "we".

Relkivik tried not to let his concern show as Senika slipped easily through the crowd and through the sliding glass door of the shop.

Xam Dimodan looked up as the computer recognized someone entering and chimed to alert her. Laying down the fashion flimsiplast she was reading with a sigh, she pulled herself wearily to her feet and walked resignedly into the main part of the store.

She had expected to find a haughty Coruscanti lady, but what she found instead was a petite young girl with strange clothing and a bewildered expression.

"Can I help you with something?" Xam asked politely, as had been engrained in her.

The girl's eyes met Xam's gaze and held it for an uncomfortably long time. She stared well past the proper length of time required for eye contact with a stranger, something that was seemingly second-nature in most humans. After a long moment, she blinked and looked at her feet. "Yes," she answered shakily, "I need a dress."

Her accent was thick, not easily placed, but Xam thought at least that seemed to support her hypothesis that this girl was simply not from around here. Yet… Little things about her seemed to be incongruent with your average outlander. Nevertheless, Xam smiled gently and said, "Well, you've come to the right place."

She collected a few gowns she thought would like nice on the girl, colours that would bring out her eyes and hair, then took a guess at her size. The girl seemed to have very little to say, only nodding when asked questions and looking in awe at the clothing, as she touched it lightly with her fingers.

Xam pointed her to a fitting room and stuck close by, waiting for returns or a different size. She pondered to herself why the girl seemed so abnormally behaved. It wasn't the way she looked that was strange so much as the way she moved and carried herself. It was like a ticat stalking prey. Xam shivered. She might have felt afraid, if not for the obvious timidity and ready-to-bolt-at-any-moment look the girl exhibited. It was like her mother had always told her about stray animals – they were more afraid of you than you were of them.

The girl finally stepped out of the change rooms and Xam was on hand, asking her if anything was to her liking. The girl gestured at herself.

"I like this one."

Well, if she was more than a little strange, at least she had good taste. The style was conservative, but elegant, and it suited her perfectly. It even seemed to make her slightly less feral.

She admired the picture for a moment and then motioned the girl to follow her.

"Come," she said, "Let's get you some shoes and jewelry to go with that."

An hour after her entrance, Senika emerged from the store with a large shopping bag and a shoe box. She drifted along the side of the building and slipped inconspicuously into an alley.

"Got it," she said with a grin.

Relkivik and Sahkisah appeared. Sahkisah was the only one that seemed interested in the contents of the bag. She touched the material of the dress, admiring the delicate embroidery and beadwork.

Relkivik was not so impressed. "Come on, we have what we came for."

Senika gave him a quizzical look. What was he so miffed about? Relkivik was usually so even-tempered, so steady. He seemed to be almost coddling her lately, looking after her in the way Icherab did, or something else. It annoyed her. She already had one foster-father. And possibly a real one to boot.

She was still stewing that evening as she lay in the bunk above him, listening to his even breathing. What was his problem? She was just working hard at mimicking humans, who seemed to show everything or nothing on their faces indiscriminately. She was still the same old Senika. Perhaps he was worried about the same thing she was: the moment when she would have to leave him. She hoped it would never come, because a life without Relkivik was frightening.

Feeling trepidations, she lay awake for a long while. Tomorrow she may find some answers, but she may not. The thought of a fruitless search was unnerving, but not as terrifying as the other prospect. She shifted restlessly at the thought. No, if there was one thing Senika feared the most it was getting caught, because if that happened, she knew she'd really be a disgrace, and she'd really belong nowhere. And she dearly wanted to still be able to look Icherab in the eye at the end of the day.


End file.
